7:15
by GirlinTheCafe
Summary: Mary Margaret never imagined how hard a life could change in a mere twenty-four hours.


**Happy last day of 2015. Today I am trying to bring an old promise back to life. In my more productive (fanfiction) writing days, I promised myself I would always update something on my birthday. It really hasn't been a very successful journey over the past years. But I am turning 24 today and I had this one-shot ready a while ago. I never uploaded it because I was in search of a beta. I just never invested time in searching one. I want to upload this though, for myself because I believe this will stimulate my writing (hopefully). So for the people new to my writing. I am not a native English speaker. I had English in secondary school but that is already a whole while ago now. So forgive all my mistakes, I am still in search of a beta.**

 **This one-shot is a continuation of 'We Can't Be Wrong Tonight'. So if you want more 'background' to this, I recommend you that you read that one first. I'll probably do a follow-up on this one-shot. I already have some ideas written out.**

 **Enjoy! Feel free to leave a review. It are the best kind of birthday presents ^_^**

 **Much love,**

 **Veronique**

 _Show: Once Upon a Time_

 _Pairing: Mary Margaret Blanchard and David Nolan_

 _Timing: set between 1x10-1x12_

 _Rating: T_

Her eyes were glued to the clock on the wall. A quarter past seven at night. The ticking of it matched the nervous pace of her heartbeats. Her breaths were labored as she inhaled and exhaled solely through her mouth. Her knees were tucked to her chest and her hands rested on top of them. Her hands were wrenched into each other. The ring on her finger glistering because of the glow of her nightlight.

He was talking to her right now, in his house across town. They had talked it through, this morning at Granny's. She had tried to convince herself not to go this morning. After what happened last night she had wanted to give him some space. She hadn't been able to help herself though. As she had woken up this morning with a heavy heart and her body remembered the sensations of last night too well.

She had kept wondering why what they did felt so good, if it was this wrong. As she had woken up the only thing she had been able to think about is how he had felt so close to her. She had closed her eyes and had felt goosebumps raise on her skin as she had relived his warm breath on her body. Without trying she had been able to still taste him on her lips. Her belly had burned as she had relived the feeling of his excitement so close to her core.

She hadn't been able to recall how she got out of bed or had gotten dressed for that matter. She had only recalled waking up and her body remembering their closeness so vividly. Then she had ended up at Granny's and falling in love all over again. At exact seven fifteen her breath had caught in her throat as she had laid eyes on him. His fierce blue eyes and the shade of pink of his lips that contrasted so wonderfully against his skin. He had such a mesmerizing effect on her. The two of them together, it felt so right. It felt like it had been forever. Like everything felt like forever in this town.

He had neared her and had smiled at her. His masculine voice had wrapped around her like a warm blanket.

"Mary Margaret." The way he had pronounced her name. It had made her feel like butterflies burst out of their cocoons inside her belly. She had imagined this was how her little students experienced being in love like twenty-four seven. It had made a coy smile tug on the corners of her lips.

"Wait a moment." He had said. "Sit still." He had put his thumb between his lips and then had brought his hand to her face. Firmly yet not painfully he had whipped over the highest point of her cheekbone. Than in a split second he had let his thumb slide further, just behind her earlobe, barely touching it. The sensation she had been so enlightened about yesterday now just washed over her like a bucket of icy water. This was wrong. They needed to change their ways.

"Toothpaste." He had said and the smile that had accompanied it might as well have been from a toothpaste commercial. He had looked so god damn charming.

"David." She had brought out. "We need to talk." Her tone had been unmistakably serious. It had caught the elderly Mrs. Lucas attention from behind the counter. Mary Margaret had felt her heart skip a beat but not in a good way. The burning stare of Mrs. Lucas had made her very self-conscious of what she had just started. She had felt the need to move the conversation that she intended to have with David to another place. A place further away from prying ears.

"I have some questions about the birds from birdhouse project I set up with my students." She had gained a questioning look from David. She had nudged him.

"Maybe it's better to talk outside. Where we can see the actual birds." He finally had gotten the hint. He had taken his to go-cup from the elderly lady. Mary Margaret had felt the burn of questioning looks on her back as she and David had left the diner. She had fought the urge to take his hand into hers. Instead she had mentioned him to go to the side of the diner. The trees and greens would disguise them pretty well. As soon as Mary Margaret had found a satisfying spot out of sight, she had halted David. She had remained silent as she had looked up at him.

"You didn't really want to talk about the birds I guess." He had stated with a mischievous grin. She had shaken her head in silence and had mustered up the courage to speak her true intentions. She hadn't expected him to place his masculine hands around her no-shaking face. Before she had time to even take in what was about to happen his lips had been on hers. He had taken immediate advance of her slightly parted lips. Gently yet determined his tongue had invited itself into her warm mouth. Mary Margaret had been taken off guard by his actions.

With a slight pressure David had created closeness between them. The feeling of his warm and solid body so near to her had catapulted her into last night's memories. She had given in and had felt the tension in her body vanish in thin air. Her arms had lain lazily around his broad shoulders. A content sigh had escaped her as David changed the angle of the kiss. He had brought one hand to the back of her head. His fingers had caressed through her short dark locks.

She had slumped back against the wall of the diner. David had taken it as an opportunity to let his free hand find an occupation. He had lain his free hand against her ribcage and his thumb had traced the underside of Mary Margaret's breast. Yet again she had felt like that bucket of icy water had been dumped over her.

The same feelings washed over her again for the third time in a day when she heard the front door fall in lock. The footsteps that followed made the wooden boards of the floor creak from the weight forced upon them. Mary Margaret didn't want to be found like this. It was almost a reflex as she grabbed the pillow and pushed herself up against it in fetus position, longing for comfort and a feeling of safeness. Instead it made her feel even more hollow between her bones. It brought her no feeling of security as she stared at the brick wall.

Nothing ever brought her a feeling of comfort. She longed for a symbol like a stuffed animal or a blanket like Emma had. The girl didn't have much but she at least had a sign that someone cared for her enough to make something for her at one point in her life. The brunette instead had nothing to hold onto to make her feel better. Even no memories to recall of an earlier life to this.

The only thing that sometimes sparked a feeling of comfort was the ring with a pretty green stone on her finger. She had no idea where it came from, where she bought it, if it was ever a gift to her. It just had always been there. Even if she didn't know how it got on her finger. The ring sparked some kind of commitment in her mind. She felt very naked and unprotected without it. It just belonged there. The ring felt like the glue that held her empty bones together.

'Mary Margaret." A soft voice rose up in front of her. In response she squeezed her eyes tightly shut but still warm tears escaped the corners of her eyes, rolling over her cheeks. Behind her closed eyes she could picture the blonde as she was standing beside her bed. Long wavy blond hair, red leather jacket and green worrying eyes. A woman someone would proudly call their daughter, if someone managed to find her in the fort that protected her emotions.

"You okay?"

"Not really."

"You want to talk about? "

"Nope."

"Do you want to be alone?"

Silence. Like one before a storm about to hit. Deafening and full.

"Nope."

Some seconds remained untouched. Unexpectedly the mattress dipped and a soft rustle from fabric against fabric could be heard. Even though Emma lay inches away from her, she could feel her presence radiate. Mary Margaret took in a shuddering breath. It caused her whole body to tremble. The blonde's company felt like a Band-Aid to the brunette. A small one over an excessive wound. It brought no real relief but the idea it symbolized was nice. Just like the missing cuddly toy or blanket were for a child. As she lay listening to Emma's breathing she found it soothing. A calming lullaby allowed her to slip into another mental state.

Everywhere was darkness but the heat surrounding her was unbearable. Things were surrounding her but she couldn't focus. She couldn't make any shapes. It looked like a room going up into flames. And suddenly she could focus, out of the blue she saw his face. His piercing blue eyes, thin pink lips, strong jaw and his brownish hair. His features burned into her mind, intense and painfully. She awoke with a gasp for air.

"You probably should talk about it." A voice rose up very near to her. It took her a moment to realize but Emma was very close to her. Her hand was on her shoulder and her frame was much nearer to her than before. Mary Margaret tried to remember how much time had passed. It felt like hours but in reality it probably was mere minutes. She has had these kind of restless dreams before, although his face was new. She could feel Emma's face just above her shoulder but she couldn't find the strength to face the blonde. She couldn't stop her mouth from spilling words though.

"We talked this morning." She sounded breathless.

"At Granny's." A gasp for air. "I told him to do this the right way. If he wants to be with me he should end things with her. If he claims that I am the only thing that feels right, he should cut the strings which hold him unto the wrong."

She breathed out excitedly. Reliving the feeling of his lips on hers as she had kissed him goodbye.

"He is talking to Kathryn right now." In her excitement she dared to face Emma. In the blonde's eyes she found a worried and pitiful look. It was like an arrow of realism to her chest. Without even hearing the other woman's voice she could feel her disapproval.

"You don't believe he's choosing me." Mary Margaret said after a few seconds. "You don't believe he'll come from me. That he'll still stay with her instead."

Emma looked taken off guard by the words of the other woman. She didn't think her emotions would show so evidently on her features.

"Mary Margaret." The blonde's voice came out like the one of a child who had done something wrong accidentally. She reached out to touch the brunette's shoulder. It only caused her to flinch and pull away from her.

"Emma." Her voice sounded cracked but determined. Emma got the message, stood up and walked away from the bed. The blonde internally decided she could never win this fight. In response Mary Margaret sat up and hugged her knees to her chest. Her head resting on top of it and sobs started to wreck through her body.

Merciless. That's the way her body reacted to her grief. Her whole form quivered as the sobs took her over. Shoulders tense, chest heaving as she suddenly forgot how to breath. The tears flowing freely for her eyes soaking the knees of her pants. She hugged her knees even closer, painfully creating pressure against her chest. She wailed and heaved. A noise even painful to her own ears. But the noise faded as time passed, as did the rest of her senses. Until everything was pitch black.

A weird sensation crept upon her. Everything felt weird and unpleasantly cold. Like waking up from a fever dream. There only was a warm sensation on her right cheek. She opened her green eyes to meet a sea of blueness staring back at her. She met his blue piercing eyes. A man on the verge of tears.

"David." His name floated around in the air.

Slowly she became aware of her surroundings. The pale morning light flowing through the thin curtains, illuminating the loft subtly. She still was in the clothes she had worn yesterday. They clung on her body uncomfortably. One of her throw blankets lay over her. She couldn't recall putting herself to bed. A moment fleeted. It must have been Emma who had put the blanket over her.

Then it hit her.

"You are not leaving her. Aren't you?"

A heartbeat of silence.

"You're just here to say that us can't happen and you're staying with her after all."

"God no Mary Margaret." Her name said by his voice sounded so painfully beautiful to her ears. He brought a hand up to her cheek to cup it. "Why would you think that?"

"Because you are on the verge of tears." Her voice sounded as teary and was companied by tears spilling from her own eyes.

"No. I want to cry because I made you this upset." His thumb brushed a stray tear away and his other hand gestured to her body. She was all sticky cloths, bedhead and a tearstained face.

"And you're this beautiful."

A blush crept upon the woman with the pixie cut. She felt the heat radiate straight from her flustered cheeks. Every time she got complimented she wanted to curl up and disappear. She didn't consider herself to be pretty. Without realizing she had buried her head in her chest and tucked her knees close to herself.

"I am not." She muttered under her breath to herself.

"Don't do that." His voice was firm as his hand on her shoulder. Her frame visibly relaxed. Her shoulders dropped and the breath she didn't know she was holding, escaped her lungs.

"There is something about you. Not just something, everything about you that makes me want to be with you. I have this feeling that we are completing and complementing each other. Like what we have has been going on for more time than it actually has."

With the back of his hand, he caressed her cheek, brushing a few stray tears away. She looked up at him. Big teary green eyes staring into his heart and soul. He took her hands into his. A moment of quiet was ended by his voice.

"In fact I am indeed here to tell you something." He sat down on the bed, scooped up her legs so she was practically sitting on his lap. He yet again cupped her cheek and his blue eyes looked into her green ones intently. Her tearstained cheeks, puffy eyes and sticky hair adding to the picture of her beauty in his mind. He exhaled and his words soared in the air.

"I am here to tell you that nothing has ever felt more right to me than you beside me."

Her lips met his as the clock on the wall marked 7:15.


End file.
